KTFA:
Clare: The first comment from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry regarding the kidnapped in Iran: Good news will be announced within hours
8/23/2023
Wednesday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs made, through Shafaq News Agency, the first comment about the kidnapping of a number of Iraqi travelers in Iran, and while it revealed the kidnapping party, it indicated that “good” news would be announced in the coming hours.
The ministry’s spokesman, Ahmed Al-Sahhaf, told Shafaq News agency, “The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been following the issue with great interest for more than a week, as a result of information we received, and the Iraqi embassy in Tehran was instructed to communicate with the relevant authorities in Iran, and coordination was also made with the Iraqi national agencies on Security level High-level security communications took place between the specialized agencies in Baghdad and the specialized agencies in Tehran.
Al-Sahhaf said, “The kidnapping incident is the result of this group of Iraqi travelers dealing with a human smuggling network, as these Iraqis were caught, kidnapped as hostages, and bargained for sums of money.”
He added, “Coordination is high with the Iranian side, and we have very positive information that reached us during the past hours. We may announce it in the next few hours. What is certain to us is that the whereabouts of the kidnapped have become known, and their number is also known, and the network that carried out their plan is a human trafficking network, and these The Iraqis tried to enter Iranian territory illegally, and they were caught by this network.”
Al-Sahhaf continued, “The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs always warns at a high level of the dangers of dealing with human trafficking networks, as this is a real threat to the lives of travelers among the Iraqi people.”
For several days, social media has been dealing with pictures and video clips showing the kidnapping of a group of Iraqi citizens in Iran, and the video clips showed the kidnapped while they were chained. LINK
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Clare: The President of the Republic receives the Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa
8/23/2023
His Excellency the President of the Republic, Dr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, received today, Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at the Baghdad Palace, the Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Farid Belhaj, and his accompanying delegation.
During the meeting, Mr. President stressed the importance of the existing relations between Iraq and the World Bank, and the need to work on strengthening and developing them in order to develop the Iraqi economy, noting that Iraq is a founding member of international organizations and associations, pointing out to the importance of Iraq having an appropriate representation in these organizations.
His Excellency the President pointed out the importance of supporting Iraq’s efforts to improve its environmental situation and rehabilitate the infrastructure in the fields of health and education, in addition to developing services and rebuilding Iraq after the victory over ISIS and continuing to defeat its terrorist remnants.
The President of the Republic also referred to Iraq’s efforts, in cooperation with neighboring countries, to completely eradicate terrorism and get rid of the phenomenon of drug trafficking, as it poses a threat to everyone.
For his part, the World Bank’s Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Farid Belhaj, expressed his happiness to visit Baghdad and meet His Excellency the President of the Republic.
He stressed that the World Bank has distinguished relations with Iraq, as it is one of the founding countries, pointing to the bank’s efforts to provide support to it. LINK
